CDC, Puerto Rico Spar Over Zika Case Reporting
May 1, 2017
Morning Briefing
Some say the dispute has obscured the impact of the Zika problem in the territory. Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has told state health officials that Zika tracking and education funding may be coming to an end.
Public Health Roundup: Ordering STD Tests Online; Baseball Players And Brain Cancer
August 14, 2017
Morning Briefing
News outlets explore these and a range of other public health developments, including ongoing efforts to improve battle plans against vector-borne diseases such as Zika and Lyme; human-genome editing; end-of-life advice on Medicare’s dime; and more.
Zika Threat Retreats, But Localities Still Look For New Ways To Fight Mosquito-Borne Diseases
June 12, 2017
Morning Briefing
Health officials say that the risk of contracting the virus in the Americas is receding, but that there is still a danger. Meanwhile, researchers look for easy, low-cost Zika testing as well as at the health impact of pesticides being used to combat mosquitoes.
New Report Lets Scientists Wrap Arms Around Scope Of Zika-Related Birth Defects
June 9, 2017
Morning Briefing
Until now, doctors hadn’t been able to pin down the actual risk of a child being born with Zika-related birth defects, but a new study shines light on the numbers.
Study May Provide Road Map For Scientists Searching For Genes Linked To Autism
July 13, 2017
Morning Briefing
Researchers found that the way children search out social experiences is connected to genetics. In other public health news: prostate cancer, Zika, food safety and diets, deadly infections and more.
Twins May Hold The Key To Unlocking Mysteries Surrounding Zika
May 2, 2017
Morning Briefing
Determining why one twin became infected in the womb while the other did not may illuminate how Zika crosses the placenta, how it enters the brain, and whether any genetic mutations make a fetus more resistant or susceptible to Zika infection. In other public health news: chronic fatigue syndrome, fasting, gender identity, hunger, premature babies and back pain.
To Circumvent Patent Challenges, This Pharma Company Made A Deal With A Native American Tribe
September 14, 2017
Morning Briefing
Now that the deal has been made public, other drugmakers are taking interest. In other pharmaceutical news, the struggle to create a Zika vaccine highlights a broader public health problem, the Food and Drug Administration is changing the way it approves orphan drugs, the House has begun work on a bill that would boost the agency’s oversight of over-the-counter drugs, and more.
Zika Epidemic Declared Over In Puerto Rico, But We ‘Cannot Let Our Guard Down,’ Officials Warn
June 6, 2017
Morning Briefing
The island has been the part of the United States hardest hit by the mosquito-borne virus
The South’s HIV Epidemic Looks Different Than The Rest Of Country’s, So Officials Are Taking A New Approach
June 13, 2017
Morning Briefing
Public health officials are starting to have hope that innovative solutions are making a difference in the South’s HIV crisis. In other public health news: pregnancy and autism, fasting diets, the liver, dog ownership, hearing aids and Zika.
Report: ‘Convergence Science’ Has Potential To Accelerate The Research-To-Product Pipeline
By Zhai Yun Tan
July 8, 2016
KFF Health News Original
Some say this trend is the future of biomedical research. But along with its potential, it also faces significant challenges.
Prominent Psychiatry Group Relaxes Stance On Speaking About Mental Health Of Public Figures
July 25, 2017
Morning Briefing
The rule against psychiatrists offering their analysis of behaviors, such as ones exhibited by the president, robs the public “of our professional judgment and prevents us from communicating our understanding” of the president’s mental state, one psychiatrist said. In other public health news: the next revolution in HIV treatment, Zika testing, ticks and disease, dental services, pollution and more.
Researchers Investigate How Different Zika Strains Impact Fetal Development
March 21, 2017
Morning Briefing
The Asian strain of the virus, which has been linked to microcephaly, attacks fetal cells differently than the African strain. In other Zika news, Florida health officials report case of locally acquired case as well as four additional travel-related infections.
Longer Looks: Medicaid And Disabled Children; Zika; And Freud
March 16, 2017
Morning Briefing
Each week, KHN’s Shefali Luthra finds interesting reads from around the Web.
Experimental Zika Vaccine Clears Safety Hurdles To Move On To Efficacy Testing
April 3, 2017
Morning Briefing
The trial could yield results as early as the end of the year.
EPA Chief McCarthy: Public Health Is ‘What We Do’
By Julie Appleby
April 18, 2016
KFF Health News Original
Gina McCarthy met with Kaiser Health News to answer a range of questions, including how the agency is involved in efforts to combat Zika and the ongoing water crisis in Flint, Michigan.
Invention To Stop Blood Loss, Born On The Battlefield, Could Save Lives Of Civilians In Trauma Cases
June 20, 2017
Morning Briefing
The device “is not the second coming of Jesus Christ,” said David Spencer, the president of the company that makes the device. “But it gives the surgeons a chance where maybe there wasn’t a chance before.” In other public health news: the human genome, Zika, back pain, suicide, election stress and more.
Using Stem Cells To Reverse Death: Cruel Quackery Or A Glimmer Of Hope For The Hopeless?
June 2, 2017
Morning Briefing
One company wants to pursue research on such a treatment for patients who are declared brain dead, but legal and ethical questions abound. In other public health news: music and grammar, strokes in young adults, brain stimulation, Ebola, Zika and more.
WHO’s Next Director-General Will Be First To Come From Africa
May 24, 2017
Morning Briefing
Former Ethiopian health minister Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has been elected to head the World Health Organization, the United Nations agency responsible for coordinating international responses to infectious disease epidemics like Ebola and Zika.
Possibility Of Zika Contamination Flagged For Miami-Area Sperm Banks
March 14, 2017
Morning Briefing
Today’s other public health stories report on developments related to a proposed bill requiring employees to submit to genetic testing, the concerning rise in suicides among middle-aged men, the fight against malaria, children’s impact on longevity, sugar and salt content in food and more.
Women Infected With Zika 20 Times More Likely To Have A Baby With Birth Defects
March 3, 2017
Morning Briefing
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention look at a range of abnormalities associated with Zika, from microcephaly to vision problems and joints with limited range of motion, such as clubfoot.